The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) inched past Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by a whisker in the 68th match of IPL 2023, on Saturday, May 20. They sealed their playoff spot by winning the thrilling affair by just one run.
After being asked to bat first, Nicholas Pooran's (58 off 30 balls) blazing half-century pushed his side to a par score of 176/8. Prerak Mankad (26), Quinton de Kock (28), and Ayush Badoni (25) chipped in with mini contributions, while Krishnappa Gowtham (11*) played a vital cameo in the final over.
Jason Roy (45) and Venkatesh Iyer (24) gave a good start to KKR in the chase with their 61-run opening partnership in 5.5 overs. Gowtham dismissed Iyer off the penultimate ball of the last over of powerplay and gave LSG a much-needed breakthrough.
Ravi Bishnoi, Krunal Pandya, and Yash Thakur combined to trigger a middle-order collapse of KKR and reduced them to 136/7. The Kolkata side found themselves in a dire situation even after a great start in the powerplay.
Rinku Singh (67* off 33 balls) once again waged a lone battle and smashed the bowlers all over the park, and single-handedly took KKR to the brink of victory. Unfortunately, he could not finish the job, as KKR eventually lost the match by one run.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, LSG skipper Krunal Pandya reflected on the win, saying:
"Just really happy the way we've played the last three games. The difference was we never gave up. We were put under a lot of pressure while bowling and batting and in this format, even one run can make a difference. Everything starts from belief. At one stage they were 61/1 but I felt if we can bowl 2-3 tight overs, those 2-3 overs can literally change the game."
Krunal Pandya continued:
"Rinku has been special this year - every game when he's there you know you can't take it easy. Again, he showed tonight as to why he's so special. It's a high-pressure situation when you're bowling the death overs. You just have to go out there and execute. I was just chatting with them to go one ball at a time and see. If they play a good shot, it's fine, but let's make sure we don't bowl a loose ball."
LSG vs KKR IPL 2023 memes
Fans on social media loved the high-octane thriller between LSG and KKR on Saturday night. They expressed their reactions to the same through some fascinating memes on social media.
Here is a collection of some of the best memes related to the game:
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